A Q&A from a customer interaction- A question about knife steels and quality?

[bkultra]

Jon, a question then. If the blacksmith is much more important then the steel used, why do not you disclose the blacksmiths you use on some of your Gesshin lines?

I would guess there are many reasons but the two main I could think of are:

1) this would be by the request of the marker(s) themselves. Keep in mind the knife making industry is very different over in Japan.

2) the competition would try and have the knives copied (this has happened in the past and is part of the reason this website exists). So keeping your markers and/or steel becomes a unfortunate necessity

[Timthebeaver]

Proprietary information is sensitive information that is owned by a company and which gives the company certain competitive advantages. Proprietary information assets are critical to the success of many, perhaps most businesses. The importance of this property, while too often not yet “formally valued” by many companies, is highly valuable. In today’s highly competitive global marketplace, it is recognized by many managers that the intellectual assets of business are highly sought-after commodities.

[JBroida]

I would guess there are many reasons but the two main I could think of are:

1) this would be by the request of the marker(s) themselves. Keep in mind the knife making industry is very different over in Japan.

2) the competition would try and have the knives copied (this has happened in the past and is part of the reason this website exists). So keeping your markers and/or steel becomes a unfortunate necessity

yeah... thats pretty accurate. For me, the important thing is that I know who does what (even when sometimes it is hidden from me), so that i can explain to my customers how any given knife might be expected to perform based to that craftsman's heat treatment, grinding style, forging style, etc.

[29palms]

I don't think you can get Hitachi White steel "B" stock - White is White. It's the craft that goes into the blade that makes it good or no. Carter has exceptional talent IMO - there are a lot of guys forging, but not to the extent that Murray takes it. His sense of tradition - forge, anneal, cold forge, ect. is what sets him apart at least domestically. I've seen video of Japanese craftsmen cold forging, but never an American other than Carter. Please inform me of any I'd like to check them out.

I just remembered something I read him saying that his master insisted he make the blade "thinner" when he was an apprentice.